His Fire
by Devils Stories
Summary: Valentines day is almost upon them, the team is exhausted but the board is still completely covered with high paying jobs. Determined to take advantage of it, Lucy insists she go on another, and determined to get some alone time to relax and hang out with his best friend, Natsu goes with her.


Natsu was in a really good mood. He felt wide awake and fired up, even if he had woken up at six in the morning to meet Lucy at the guild at seven in the morning. Despite the early hour of eight in the morning and despite the fact that Lucy was still asleep in her bed when she had threatened the life out of him if he was late...he was still in a good mood.

He could never explain it, but he was always in a much better mood in the weeks leading up to Valentines. Halloween was his favorite Holiday by far, and he adored Thanksgiving, but something about Valentines was special. Maybe it was because there was a huge surplus of chocolate being made and the smell of it coated the shopping centers, or maybe it was the fact that his favorite color red was everywhere. It might have been because everyone was kinder, not in a Christmas way but in a different way in general. Everyone opened their hearts a bit more than usual and spent time with their lover or someone who was special to them. Or maybe it was the fact that not just Fairy Tail, but all the guilds across Fiore were completely _flooded_ with job requests. So much so that even wizards not part of the guilds were allowed to take certain requests. The prices went up as well, people were willing to pay big money for a wizards presence around Valentine's Day. There was also the fact that vulcans became way more active the weeks leading up to and going down from valentines, some even going into villages and taking girls or attacking people on trails. Maybe one of those reasons were why he loved this Holiday, maybe it was all of them.

He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that he was happier than usual even if he was exhausted. He and team Natsu had been taking jobs back to back in the last few weeks, literally walking in, handing in the finished job paper to Mira and grabbing another job before heading straight back to the train station. They had taken maybe twenty high paying missions in the last four weeks, almost all of them involving fighting places of vulcans and relocating them. They had gotten back last night from one that was a bit more difficult than the others and the entire team had gone to their own places to sleep for the night. Erza and Gray had split off, saying goodbye and goodnight while Natsu had walked with Lucy and Happy for a bit. That's how she had managed to pull him into another job. She was already a few months ahead on her rent but she wanted to take full advantage of the job board being covered in high paying jobs still. Erza and Gray had both already said they had plans. Erza had promised her hands to Mira to help her prepare for the valentines party the guild was throwing, Gray had said he wanted to sleep for more than two hours but Natsu and Lucy had agreed that it probably had to do with Juvia threatening to separate his man parts from him if he was gone on Valentines. Happy had been honest though, saying he was going to sleep and eat fish, maybe join Wendy and Charla. So that just left her and Natsu.

He was more than fine with that though, he missed his best friend. Despite being pretty much attached to her hip for the past few weeks, they hadn't really had any time to relax or just hang out like they usually did. And when they DID have time then the others were around. Not that Natsu didn't like their presence, he did. But he missed his best friend, other than Happy.

He ALSO missed messing with her...which was another definite reason why he was in such a good mood.

"Luuuucy." Natsu whispered, holding back his giggle at her sleeping face. He dragged the tip of the feather gently across her face again. "This'll teach you to make me get up early and sleep in yourself." He whispered, tickling under Lucy's nose with the feather. Her face twitched and Natsu sat back, a look of joy on his face as her hand came up, smacking herself in the face and splattering the whip cream on her nose and mouth. Lucy's eyes shot open and Natsu couldn't hold it back any more, a loud laugh ripping from his mouth.

"Hahahahahahaha holy crap Lucy! You should see your face!" He cackled, holding his stomach as he knelt on the floor.

"Natsu what the hell!" Lucy exclaimed, sitting up and wiping at her face.

"Oh man~ hahahahaha you...hAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu struggled to speak and Lucy just scowled at him, wiping more of the whip cream from her face onto her hand. The more he laughed the bigger her scowl got until finally she growled.

"I'll teach you!" She yelled, tossing the sheets off of her and pouncing onto the dragon slayer who instinctively grabbed her waist to catch her, leaving him vulnerable for when her hand came up, smearing the cream on her hand on his face. He let out a startled yelp, falling back onto her floor with her straddling his torso.

"Lu! Lucy!" Natsu sputtered, his arms flailing and his head turning back and forth to ty and avoid her hand.

"Hold still you pyro pervert!" She yelled and Natsu couldn't help but to laugh, his hand hitting the can of whip cream. Acting quickly he grabbed it and caught on of her hands, giving her a vicious grin. She noticed the can in his hand and her eyes widened. "Natsu don't you da-RE!" Her voice rose from a warning level to a high pitched shriek as he pushed his finger down, unleashing the power of sprayable whipcream upon the blonde. Her hands flew up to try and shield herself but Natsu was intent on getting revenge for _her_ revenge.

"HaHA! Take that!" He cheered, grabbing at both of her hands so he could get more of the fluffy sugar treat all over her. Her cries turned into reluctant laughter and giggles, trying to hide the fact that she was having at least a little bit of fun as whip cream smeared on her face and her hair.

"Okay! Okay okay okay! You got me!" She said, her laugh no longer hiding as she got Natsu to stop. He gave her a cheeky grin as he looked at her.

"Morning Luce." He said and she gave him an exasperated sigh, wiping at her face and licking it off her fingers.

"Mind telling me why you broke into my house and didn't wait for me at the guild? We were supposed to meet there at seven." Lucy told him, crossing her arms at him. He just grinned, not even whining about getting up early or the fact she was still sitting on him. He was just happy to be around her without vulcans grabbing them both and without the others all staring at him. It was a common fact that Lucy was special to him, all of his family was, but Lucy was a different special. He had grown up surrounded by people he considered friends and family, and he had had a healthy amount of relationships to watch, and a lot of friendships that he could look back on. He, despite popular opinion was very in-tune with his emotions and his relationships with other people. He knew that there was a difference between what he felt for say, Erza, and what he felt for Lucy. However he was also aware that Lucy grew up alone. Despite being at the guild for a few years, she was still getting the hang of how to process her emotions and the differences between friends and more. He was okay with that though, he was confident in his position as her best friend. They had been through to much together to doubt that about himself or their friendship.

"Aye, I was there at seven, you were late so I came to check on ya." He answered her, giving off a huge grin. Lucy frowned, scrunching her eyebrows together before lifting her nose into the air, turning her torso away from him.

"I am _not_ late Natsu! Just because you can't read time doesn't mean-" She opened her eyes, stopping dead when she saw the time. She looked back at Natsu who still had a grin on his face and then back to the clock that now read 8:39 am. Natsu opened his mouth, ready to suggest that they spend the next two days and then valentines relaxing and just hanging out when she finally gasped. "We're late!" She exclaimed, clambering off of him and causing him to let out a grunt and an "ooph" sound as she all but stepped on him.

"Give me five minutes then we're leaving to the guild!" Lucy yelled as she ran into the bathroom at light speed, slamming the door shut. Natsu let out a sigh, slowly sitting up he looked at the bathroom door for a moment.

"Take your time." He called out to her, hearing the water run. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "We could sleep instead ya know...and you can stop trying to looking perfect trying to find a valentine other me." He mumbled to himself, tilting his head back and spraying some whipcream into his mouth.

!?~`

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the building that the parchment paper had instructed them to go too. It was wide, with two floors and what looked like a storage unit on top. It smelled like sweat, rubber and hair gel and the letters on top of the building were round and bubbly.

"Lucy. Why do I get the feeling we're going to be put up on the stage again, ill prepared and worked half to death? With me ending up with tons of bruises? I thought you chose this mission so we'd avoid bruises." Natsu said, not moving his eyes away from the dance studio. Lucy rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm she gave a tug, having both of their arms extended to the fullest, with her leaning all of her body weight forward as she tried to force him forward. It didn't work.

"Natsu come on! We need to get inside!" She told him and he pulled her back with a simple flick of his wrist, causing her to stumble into his chest. His hands caught her hips but he still didn't look away, having flashbacks from the last time he and team Natsu had taken a job and ended up doing a play.

"Or we could turn around and go back and not take a job involving a performance." He told her and she put her hands on his chest, scowling as she looked up at him and re-balanced herself on her own two feet.

"Natsu! This job is paying a lot of money okay? And they asked for a _fire breather_ and someone who can dance. And gee I wonder who could possibly breathe _fire_ Mr. Dragon Slayer!" She exclaimed and Natsu finally tore his eyes away from the haunting letters, looking down at Lucy. Her glare quickly faded and a stubborn blush kissed her cheeks as she realized how close their faces were.

"Directors are fucking crazy Luce." He whispered and she rolled her eyes, pulling away from him.

"Come on Natsu. You'll be fine. Once we finish this job then we can just hang out at the guild and relax for valentine's...seeing as neither of us have a valentine." She said the last part bitterly, starting to walk into the building. Natsu sighed, pressing his lips into a thin line and deciding that resisting any further would be pointless, he followed after her. Inside the building there was mass chaos however, it seemed to be oddly organized, a man standing on top of a foot stool and giving out directions to people.

"So wait, since when do you dance?" Natsu asked Lucy, both of them trying to take in the brightly colored costumes being carried around and all the people yelling and walking in every which way.

"Well…" Lucy trailed off for a moment, blushing slightly before she continued, "sense I only knew how to dance formally, Cana and Erza made me start taking dance lessons so that I'd be a better club mate when we go." She explained and Natsu raised his brows at her.

"You go to clubs after the incident when-" He started to say and she quickly hushed him, blushing more as she thought about the time the entire team had gotten shit faced and Natsu and Lucy woke up naked in a closet with their clothes nowhere to be found, hickeys all over Natsu's neck. Of course after the initial "Lucy kick" which he still believed he hadn't deserved, and Lucy's mental break down, they had found their bags and changed clothes, finding Erza and Gray naked in the bathtub. After a few awkward moments it was revealed that apparently Natsu had been about to get lucky with some girl at the club but Lucy had punched her in the face because "she looked sleazy" and they were kicked out of the club. They had stopped at the liquor store, already drunk as hell and by the time they had gotten back to the hotel they thought that playing 'truth or dare' had been a good idea. Of course that ended up in stripping, playful, really bad lap dances and even more alcohol, and eventually led to Lucy being dared to take Natsu into the closet for seven minutes of heaven. According to Happy, who had been the most sober out of them all claimed it took them about two minutes to realize that they had fallen asleep in the closet. It was still unknown, to this day however, how Erza and Gray had ended up in the tub. Everyone had agreed it was most likely because Erza and Gray were fighting over who got to shower.

"Sometimes, mostly as the sober one to make sure Cana doesn't die and to keep Erza from killing someone." She explained before pointing to the guy giving out orders.

"I think that's the guy in charge." She said and Natsu shrugged, walking in front of Lucy and letting her grab onto the back of his vest as people parted for him. Lucy liked having Natsu around when there were crowds, something about him just made people get out of his way. But then again, knowing Natsu...she'd probably get out of the way too. He gave off that "Alpha Male" vibe and he had the body and ability to prove that it wasn't just attitude. No, he was a red blooded male, and despite herself, Lucy always found it attractive when those dominant traits came out. Of course she thought it was attractive when other guys in the guild showed theirs off as well, but she didn't quite accept it as much as she did Natsu's. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't afraid of Natsu at all, she knew that he would never hurt her, and he'd destroy anyone who did. She had never laid down and let him be above her, but he had never really tried. He had shown her he looked at her as an equal, and the trust he put in her was mind blowing to her. She didn't know why, but she if she had to submit to any of them, it would be him. Maybe that's the reason why when the dicks were compared, or in other terms when the guys were pumped up on testosterone and trying to prove they were the best, she was always thought Natsu had won, even when he got knocked out. She didn't know how to explain it other than he was her best friend, so that was why she'd side with him. That and she knew how fragile a guy's masculinity could be.

"Ah! My mages!" The man on the stool called out suddenly, excitement in his voice. Natsu and Lucy both stopped, Lucy coming from behind him. She choked on her own spit, trying not to gawk at his outfit while Natsu puffed out his cheeks, trying to hold back his laughter. The guy was a few inches taller than Natsu but he was nothing but skin and bones underneath a gaudy bright red jacket that was three sized too big, a nasty looking yellow shirt that had a lion on it that was two sizes too small, and the ugliest shade of purple Natsu had ever laid eyes on pants that hugged the mans legs. He wore a stupid looking hat at an angle on his head, that had orange stripes on it. Natsu was a simple guy, but he prided himself on the fact his outfits always matched and weren't gag worthy.

"If you puked on it, it would look better." Natsu whispered and Lucy stifled a giggle, hitting his arm as he grinned.

"Helloooo! I'm so glad my request was answered! We're a bit short on time though, we were hoping for an answer a while ago. But! We'll make due! I am the coordinator and director of this event, you may call me Mr. Nuka. And what guild are you from?" Nuka asked and Natsu and Lucy both shifted their limbs, showing the Fairy Tail insignia on their skin.

"We're mages from Fairy Tail, I'm Lucy Heartfilia, resident celestial wizard...and this is Natsu Dragneel, our fire dragon slayer." Lucy said and Nuka's eyes sparkled.

"Really? It _is_ you? I had hoped I'd get the Salamander! And what's more! He brought his beloved! The star maiden!" Nuka gushed and Natsu and Lucy's faces were dusted with a light blush as Lucy was referred to Natsu's 'beloved'. "I've heard many stories, I've even seen a few of the photo sets or random candids! I thought it was you two, but I didn't want to get my hopes up! How exciting!" He exclaimed, waving his arms wildly as he talked. Lucy cleared her throat.

"Uhm...Mr. Nuka, Natsu and I aren't...dating. Like, we're not in love." Lucy clarified and Natsu hid a flinch. _Ouch_. Nuka's face fell.

"Yeah, I mean...you may not be aware of this but Lucy here is a huge weirdo. I'm too awesome for her to date me." Natsu said, more of a bandaid for the minor wound she had caused. He grunted when she puffed her cheeks out, punching him in his gut.

"So...you two are standing so close just because you want too?" He asked, pointing his finger at the half inch in between them. Lucy looked down as well, blushing as she realized that they _were_ standing pretty close. She side stepped and took a breath, looking at Nuka.

"Mr. Nuka we'd love to hear more information about the job so that we can get this done as quickly as possible." Lucy said and he looked at them both quizzically for another moment before nodding, clapping his hands together.

"Of course. Well every year we have the festival of hearts on Valentines and this year I was put in charge. Every year we set up booths, have skits and games and give out prizes, but then there's a bigger show on the stage that goes along with the year's theme. This year's theme is "love conquers all". Our idea was to have a fire breathing monster," he paused and looked at Natsu, "but I'm sure we can adjust that to where you're referred to as a dragon." He said with a knowing smile and Natsu gave him a grin, deciding this guy wasn't so bad after all. Nuka continued, "lives on the outskirts of a small village. Everyone fears the beast and knows not to go out past dark because the _dragon_ would get them. Well one night, the villages best dancer practiced too late and had to make her way home in the dark. She runs into the dragon, and the unthinkable happens! The two fall in love, and start to meet in secret during the day and night, whenever our lovely dancer can get away she does. When the village finds out about this love affair they claim that she's been brainwashed by the beast and they go out, to capture, torture and kill the beast. In a desperate attempt to save her lover, she claims that he wouldn't harm the village and to prove it she would prove that she can dance through his flames without getting burnt. She does of course, and the village is so moved by the trust and love they have for each other and viola! Happy ending! Love conquers!" Nuka exclaimed, throwing his hands up in excitement while Natsu gave Lucy a pointed look to remind her of the ' _directors are fucking crazy'_ comment. Lucy sucked in a deep breath.

"And...the performance is on Valentines?" She asked slowly and Nuka nodded. Her heart sank a little, she had still been holding out hope she'd run into some random person last second and she'd be whisked away for Valentines.

"It is, so you have the rest of today, all of tomorrow and a few hours on Valentines to learn the choreography and rehearse it. Also I hope you're both comfortable with your bodies because instead of costumes you'll be body painted instead. Lucy you'll be given pasties and underwear, Natsu you'll be given underwear and you might get pasties, that's up to the artist. The body painting will take a few hours, so make sure you get all of your rehearsals done before the painting. I need you here at seven each morning and I'm hoping you'll stay until ten each night, but you can go to your hotel room at nine. We have a lot to work on. You don't have to memorize any lines because there will be a narrator, but I really need you two to get into it. You'll need it to seem real with your facial expressions and movements." He explained and Natsu ran his hand through his hair. _So much for relaxing_. He thought and Lucy had a worried look as well. Whether it was from the work load or the fact that she pretty much be naked in front of an audience he had no idea. A loud crash and two voices rising into a shouting match caught Nuka's attention. He looked back at the fairy tail mages.

"Roota and Chance are over there," he said, pointing to a boy and girl who were stretching and wearing workout clothes, "they'll be the ones who teach you the choreography. Please excuse me, I must go handle what ever just happened." He said, giving them a quick salute before dashing off to settle whatever it was that had happened. Natsu looked at Lucy and wiggled his eyebrows. She frowned.

"What?" She asked and he gave her a devilish grin.

"Would you like to lead the way, my secret lover?" He asked, his tone clearly playful. Lucy rolled her eyes and scoffed, putting her hand on his face and pushing him away. He chuckled and followed after her as she made her way to their mentors for the next few days.

!?`~

Lucy let out a shriek and jumped out of the way, glaring at Natsu who gave her a frustrated look.

"Natsu I'm going to get _burnt_!" Lucy hissed, clear anger in her voice as she balled her hands into fists. Roota and Chance let out sighs, letting their heads rest on their hands as the two Fairy Tail mages started to argue once again.

"Yeah! You _are_ going to get burnt if you don't _trust_ me! I can control them if you would just fucking _trust_ me!" Natsu snarled back at her.

They had gotten through yesterday and most of today really well, both of them catching on quickly and making it look easy. But now they were on the closing scene, and they hadn't gotten it right once in the last three hours.

"Well _excuse_ me if I get worried when literal _fire_ is coming straight at me and it gets hot! If it's not going to burn me then why is it hot!?" Lucy shrieked and Natsu looked up at the ceiling before giving her an incredulous look.

"It's _FIRE_ Lucy! It's going to be at least a little hot! It's not going to burn you though unless you don't trust me! I can control it." Natsu yelled and Lucy's lip twitched in fury.

"Well you can't blame me for not trusting you to throw flames at me when you _destroy_ everything you touch!" She yelled back and she regretted the words the second they left her lips. Natsu's face shifted from frustrated to hurt, and then anger. He let out a growl, tilting his head back he let out puff of fire through clenched teeth before turning on his heel.

"Wait Natsu I didn't mean that!" Lucy exclaimed but Natsu ignored her, angrily storming out of the room and slamming the door shut. Roota and Chance gave each other a surprised look, feeling awkward after the dragon slayers brief display of fury. Chance stood up.

"I'm gonna go see if he's okay." He said awkwardly, walking out of the room after Natsu. Lucy let her shoulders drop and she sighed, sitting down hard on the dance floor.

"Great." She muttered and Roota coughed awkwardly.

"You know...uh...I'm sure he knows what he's doing?" She tried, and Lucy looked up at her.

"Yeah...he does…" She mumbled as Roota stood and walked over to her, sitting next to her.

"I mean...have you ever been burned or has there been an accident before?" Roota asked curiously and Lucy shrugged.

"Not by Natsu, but I've seen exactly what those flames are capable of. They've brought down buildings, shortened mountains and destroyed villages...not on purpose though. He just has a habit of going overboard." Lucy exclaimed and Roota hid a shiver, not very well however as Lucy noticed it.

"He sure has a lot of power huh?" She asked and Lucy hummed, nodding, both of them looking towards the door where he had stormed out. "I think it's enticing. You two must go on so many adventures...it must be an amazing sight to see his powers in action." She said and Lucy's eyes narrowed, an odd feeling of protectiveness and jealousy sweeping over her belly.

"It is, it's an amazing sight that takes your breath away. When Natsu feels his family or friends are being threatened he doesn't hesitate to take out any threat. He doesn't know the meaning of defeat when it matters. Just when you think he'd done for the count he gets up and comes back twice as hard...but it's also a terrifying power when you're on the other side of those flames." Lucy said, thinking about all the times they had been seconds away from death, but Natsu had somehow managed to stand again, giving the others all the strength.

"Well...you trust him with your life right?" Rota asked and Lucy nodded quickly.

"Of course! I've jumped from the top window of a tower because I had a feeling he'd catch me. I went off the top of a waterfall with him, hell, the day we met he ended up saving me from becoming a slave." Lucy exclaimed. Roota gave her a soft smile.

"Look, I don't know much about you, but just from watching yesterday and today, I can tell you both have a lot of trust and care for each other. I don't think that he would try it if he thought for a moment that he couldn't do it without hurting you." She said gently and Lucy took in a deep breath.

"You're right…I'm just being silly." Lucy said, standing up.

"Thanks Roota, I'll be right back." Lucy said and Roota nodded. Lucy walked over to the door, hesitating for only a moment before she opened it, walking in shyly. Chance and Natsu stopped talking. She shuffled a bit, kicking at the ground.

"Chance can I have a moment with Natsu?" Lucy asked quietly and Chance nodded, patting the pinkettes shoulder.

"Yeah sure, I'm gonna grab some sandwiches for us, do you want something?" He asked and Lucy bit her lip.

"If it's not too much trouble yes, get whatever is good." Lucy said and he nodded, walking back to the main practice room, leaving Natsu and Lucy in a dressing room, with costumes hanging on racks all around them. Natsu crossed his arms, glaring at her. He was clearly still angry about what she had said, and rightfully so.

"Look...Natsu I didn't mean what I said in there-" She started but the look he gave her made her stop short.

"Didn't mean what? The fact that you don't trust me? The fact that you think I destroy everything I touch? What didn't you mean Lucy?" He snapped and Lucy took a deep breath.

"I don't think you destroy everything-" she tried to say but Natsu let out a growl.

"If you didn't think it you wouldn't have said it." He said and Lucy frowned, realizing that he was upset about hidden reasons as well. She let out a sigh, deciding to take a chance. She wasn't afraid of him striking out at her, but she'd feel bad if he moved away. Thankfully though, he remained still and watched her as she got closer to him, not moving an inch when she hugged around his waist, forcing his arms to his side as she leaned into him. Usually they were around the same height, with Natsu being a few inches taller but that was usually hidden by her shoes that gave her a few inches. However now they were both barefoot, and he was standing straight up while she slumped down, resting her head above his chin.

"Natsu I'm sorry. I don't think you destroy everything you touch. That was really stupid of me to say...and you _know_ I trust you. I always have. You brought me to Fairy Tail, and you've saved my life more times than I can count. Hell, I jumped out of a _window_ because I had a suspicion that you were ready to catch me. I trust you with everything...except maybe my fridge." She added, keeping her eyes shut. She could hear him let out a soft, amused huff at the last part through his nose, letting out a sigh before finally wrapping his arms around her in a hug and returning the embrace.

Lucy melted into him, letting her sore, tired body relax against her best friends body that radiated a comforting heat. Despite the fact they were always together and were best friends, they very rarely displayed any form of physical affection, even on a platonic level. She wasn't sure why though, Natsu's hugs were warm and safe and always made her feel better. Something about the way that he held her in his arms tightly, pressing her against his body in a protective and loving way- it just made her feel special and bubbly inside.

She felt him rest his chin on her head, letting out another sigh. Lucy wondered if they should break apart the hug, most hugs last about three to ten seconds tops and this one had gone well above that. However, Lucy didn't mind it for once. Once again, Natsu hugs were the best, and they were rare.

"It's okay...I'm sorry for yelling at you. I guess I'm just tired and I got frustrated easier than usual." Natsu mumbled and Lucy let out a breath of relief against his neck, taking in his scent. She could never describe what cologne he was wearing, if he was wearing it at all, but his scent tingled her nose and relaxed her mind and body. Everyone's homes smelled different, they always smelled the same and the people that resided in the home had no idea what their own place smelled like, except for Lucy. Because she knew exactly what her home smelled like. It was her best friend. It was Natsu.

After another few long moments of Natsu holding her tightly, keeping his eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of having her close to him, in his arms he finally pulled away, giving her a slight grin. _She has no idea how much I love her_. He thought as she returned his grin shyly, her stomach fluttering softly.

"Come on, let's eat and then we can try again. I wanna have bragging rights at the guild about how I can dance in your fire without burning." She said and Natsu's grin widened into his full, 100 watt smile as he let out a laugh, holding up his fist.

"Yeah! I'm all fired up!" He cheered.

!?

"That was fantastic!" Nuka exclaimed as Natsu and Lucy did their final pose, the rest of the people who were in the play as well all around them. Natsu and Lucy gave each other a grin, pulling away from each other. Lucy was a bit out of breath as well as Natsu, but they felt good. It was eight in the morning, and Lucy and Natsu were exhausted, but wide awake as well with excitement.

"This might actually turn out well." Lucy said and Natsu laughed, slinging his arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"That was a stellar performance both of you! You mastered it in two days and I'm so impressed! However there are some things I want to see from you both. Lucy, I need you to look like you're actually terrified of losing your lover, it needs to look like you're literally dancing for his life. You look way to happy for someone who is about to lose the love of her life." He said and Lucy frowned slightly.

"I understand...doesn't Natsu have to work on that as well?" She asked and Nuka pressed his lips in a line, shaking his head and glancing at the dragon slayer. Natsu tensed a bit, understanding the look Nuka gave him. He was praying that Nuka didn't reveal his secret.

"No, I guess Natsu is actually a good actor. Everything he does looks genuine. From the looks on his face and into the movements he makes. However, Natsu I'm going to need a bit more emotion on the ending. During the actual performance you'll have a net over you, maybe that will help. Also...instead of you two just looking at each other and that being the ending pose I'm going to change that." Nuka said, pulling himself up onto the stage. People were all around them in the huge field where the festival would take place. Booths were being set up, trailers were being laid down and even a few small carnival rides were being built.

"What are we doing instead?" Natsu asked, separating himself from Lucy as Nuka walked up to them.

"I want there to be a kiss, it doesn't have to be long, but you have to make it look passionate. Let it last a few seconds or as long as you feel necessary, the when you pull away I want Natsu's forehead on Lucy's, and you'll both be staring into each other's eyes until the curtain closes." He told them and their faces both lit up bright red.

"You want us to do what?" Lucy asked, bringing brought back to the time when they were watching Asuka. However, this time she didn't have Happy to throw in front of her face.

"Kiss. It's not a big deal, half of the people here half kissed people they didn't really even know on stage. I promise you, it'll make everything even better." Nuka said before turning at the call of the stage director. Natsu looked at Lucy, his blush now gone. Lucy blushed even harder when he looked at her.

"Don't worry Luce, it's not like it's going to kill us. We've seen each other naked before, this will be easy." Natsu assured her and Lucy pouted.

"But Natsu we're best friends! We can't just _kiss_. It's not like we're dating, or even Valentines!" Lucy exclaimed and Natsu let out a sigh.

"Do you want the reward money or not?" He asked her and she gave him a 'duh' look.

"You know I do." She said and the second the words left her lips he had her waist in his arms, crushing her to his chest, He smirked as she gasped and looked up at him in shock as he leaned down. Lucy's heart was beating out of control as she let her eyes flutter close, expecting to feel his lips on hers. However she gasped again and let her eyes fly open when his lips brushed her ear.

"Then I guess we'll have to kiss just this once. It'll be our little secret." Natsu whispered into her ear and he held back his laugh of victory when she shuddered against him. He pulled back, flashing her a devilish grin and she nearly choked on her own spit, doing the best thing she could have possibly done.

"Luuuuuuuucy kick!" She yelled, bringing her foot up to connect with Natsu's jaw and sending him flying off the stage.

"Natsu! Lucy! Head to the tent! The painters are here and they want to get started with you as soon as possible." Nuka called and Lucy turned to him, giving him a nod.

After the first thirty minutes of Lucy squealing in embarrassment and yelling at Natsu to stop looking at her barely covered body, even though his painter had told him not to move, they were on their way to becoming their characters. They both had pasties put on them, and a pair of underwear that had been glued to their hips and thighs. There had been a slight argument about what to do with Natsu's... _extra_ part seeing as the underwear was skin tight and showed an outline of him. Lucy, upon seeing it had responded with another Lucy kick. Nuka had settled it however, saying that you wouldn't be able to notice once the paint was on.

Now it was four hours later, Natsu had his lower half painted so far, extreme detail in it. His painter had been excited and had worked with him on the idea's, helping to turn him into a light red dragon below the waist so far. He and Lucy both thought he was looking rather badass so far. Lucy, had most of her chest done, a revealing top that was painted to look like gems were sewn into the 'fabric'. It was the same red as Natsu's scales were, and the strings had been painted a pretty pink around her body and neck intricately.

"Alright guys, let's take a fast break to get water and a snack, then we'll start again. Natsu do _not_ sit down until I get some sealant on you or I'll have to restart." The girl who was painting Natsu warned and he gave her a mock salute, giving her a grin. She laughed, walking over to the table that had snacks and water bottles on it with Natsu right behind her. Lucy and her painter walked over as well.

"I'm actually really hungry." Lucy laughed, grabbing a sandwich before Natsu could inhale them all.

"You've been up since early this morning, I'm not surprised." Mary, her painter said, chewing on a sandwich herself.

"So how did you guys learn how to do this stuff?" Natsu asked, using advantage of the few seconds his mouth wasn't stuffed with food. Alana, Natsu's painter shrugged, the three girls sitting down on stools while Natsu stood standing, not daring to mess up the paint.

"Yeah! You made the paint on me look like actual clothes!" Lucy exclaimed and the girls giggled.

"Well, I went to school for it." Alana said before giving Mary a smirk. "And someone was always complaining about me spending time with nude models-" She started to continue but Mary let out a squeak.

" _Anyway!_ She painted me once and I started volunteering to be a model because I loved it, then one day I decided to try myself...and viola! Here I am." Mary finished and Natsu raised a brow, throwing them both a smirk.

"How long have you two been dating?" He asked and Lucy gasped.

"Natsu! Don't assume that-" She started but Alana laughed, shaking her head.

"No it's okay. We're not dating Natsu, we're married." She said and Lucy's mouth opened in shock. Not because two girls were married, but because Natsu picked up on their relationship before she had. Mary let out a soft sigh, smiling at Alana.

"For three years now, three of the _hardest_ , but BEST years of my life." She cooed and Lucy snapped out of it, letting out an "awhhh" sound.

"Yup, she's a nerd alright. But she's my nerd...what about you two? How long have you been dating?" Alana asked and Natsu choked on his food, starting to cough but struggling not to spit out was in his mouth. Lucy gave him a disapproving look.

"That's what you get for eating like a heathen you moron!" Lucy scolded him, not even bothering to help him as she looked back at the two painters who both had their eyebrows risen. "We're not dating, just best friends, possibly back up Valentines if I don't get whisked away by someone in the next few hours." Lucy joked and Natsu coughed harder, covering his mouth as he forced himself to swallow, teary eyed as he looked back up at Lucy, his eyebrows raised as he gasped for breath.

"Did you just call me your _backup_?" He asked, wanting to clarify and Lucy narrowed her eyes, seeing a chance for revenge on him for earlier.

"Nah, you know you're my first choice." She said, adding a wink. Natsu blushed deep red, turning his face away.

"I'm gonna go pee." He mumbled, turning around quickly and walking away. The girls all giggled at him before Alana gasped.

"NATSU DON'T YOU DARE MOVE THAT UNDERWEAR OR IT'LL MESS IT UP!" Alana screeched, turning and bolting after him.

Another five hours later and Lucy and Natsu were completely covered, head to toe in paint and Natsu was having wings attached to him. Lucy admired herself in the mirror, she had makeup on that accented her features perfectly, and despite her previous insecurities of being exposed, she felt oddly confident and sexy.

"Move over Luce! You're hogging the mirror!" Natsu exclaimed and she jumped, looking behind her in the mirror. She gasped, seeing Natsu transformed. He had horns sprouting from his head, his hair a wilder mess than usual but had carefully placed twigs. He had bright orange cat eye contacts in, his cheekbones were more pronounced than usual and his eyes were outlined with a very very soft brown just so they didn't get lost on stage. He had detailed scales running from his feet to just above his waist where they faded off, leaving patches of them on his torso and arms, his rib cage covered in them. From his shoulder blades two magnificent looking, realistic wings came from him. His hands were completely covered in paint, the same scales on them, however he had about three inch talons attached to each finger. He looked amazing, he looked like a badass, and instead of being disturbed or horrified by his appearance, a thrill of excitement and attraction ran through her.

"Woah...Natsu you look...fierce." She said and he gave her a grin. There had been no need to give him fake fangs, seeing as his were large enough already.

"Well move over and let me see!" He exclaimed, clear excitement in his face. Lucy giggled, stepping aside and letting him have the mirror. He examined himself, clearly pleased with his appearance. He turned, keeping his neck craned to see the wings better. They looked like they came straight from his back. He faced the front again, examining himself carefully, looking at his face and making a few faces, a serious one, an angry one, a confused one and then a gleeful one, featuring his famous heart melting smile before he turned to Alana. She squealed as he grabbed her and hugged her tightly, picking her up.

"This looks amazing! You're really talented!" He exclaimed and she let out a loud laugh. He put her down and looked at Lucy. "I'm a _dragon_ Luce!" He said, his excitement dripping from his voice. Lucy couldn't help but to laugh at his childish happiness. He turned back to the mirror, looking himself over and admiring himself again, flexing his arms and stomach and striking a few poses. Lucy joined him, both of them sharing the mirror. She couldn't help but to notice they had been painted to go together. They matched. They looked like a couple. Natsu met her gaze in the mirror and he gave her another huge grin.

"You look great too Lucy, everything looks real." He told her. She giggled, not being able to _not_ pick up on his good mood.

"You two should relax and eat something and sip at water until the show. You've got a few hours until your performance but don't leave the tent until it's a few minutes until the show since the festival is starting." Mary said.

"We put a lot of sealant on you guys so you two can sit down and relax for a bit. Natsu those wings will stay on through some rough treatment but let's not push it" Alana added and Natsu nodded.

"We can't wait to see the performance!" Mary told them, taking Alana's hand in hers and pulling her away. Lucy and Natsu watched them go, before turning to look at themselves in the mirror again.

"I want to sit down but I don't wanna stop looking at myself." Natsu said honestly and Lucy laughed, nodding slightly.

"She did an amazing job on you Natsu." She agreed and he looked at her.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" He said, pulling away and walking across the tent to where their bags were. Lucy rose her eyebrows, walking after him but stopping halfway where the bean bags were. She flopped down, being careful though. Mary had said the paint wouldn't rub or smear, but she was still worried about it. Natsu walked over to her, sitting down carefully himself and cautiously opening his bag, not wanting the fake talons to come off as he reached in.

"I got you something for Valentines day, I mean I know everyone usually gives candy to everyone in the guild or something but I figured since we're missing the party at the guild that I might as well get you something." Natsu told her and Lucy blushed at the idea of Natsu getting _her_ specifically something for Valentines day. She felt...special. Which was silly, because she knew Natsu cared about all of his family equally.

"Oh my Mavis!" Lucy exclaimed as Natsu pulled out a white plushie. It took her only a second to realize that it was a custom made Plue plushie. She squealed, grabbing it from Natsu's hands a she pulled it closer, examining it with wide eyes and a huge smile.

"Natsu! This is so adorable! It looks just like him and it's _so_ soft! Where did you get this!?" She asked him, hugging it tightly. Natsu let out a laugh, overjoyed that she liked the present. Happy had been trying to reassure him for weeks that she would like it, but Natsu had still worried.

"Do you remember that toy company we did a job for a few months ago?" He asked and when she nodded he continued, "well I called them and asked if they could do a favor. They were more than happy to help." He explained and Lucy let out a giggle.

"This is so sweet Natsu! How did you get this in just two days?" Lucy asked and he blushed a bit, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, I asked for it around Thanksgiving because I meant for it to be a Christmas gift...but we kind got busy." He told her and she made an "awhh" sound. Before he knew what was happening she leaned forward, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks Natsu! It means a lot to me." She said and he laughed, hugging her back before she pulled away. "I _did_ get you something as well but it's at my place. I thought that we'd be back in time for Valentines." She told him and Natsu looked at he in surprise. She had gotten him something? He quickly covered his surprise with a grin.

"Nah don't worry about it, besides...I have something for _both_ of us as well." Natsu said and Lucy watched as he reached back into the bag, pulling out a huge heart shaped box of chocolates. "So I couldn't find one _not_ in the shape of a heart, but one of the best places in town gave Happy and I a shit ton of free samples and stuff because we solved their rat problem." Natsu said and Lucy blushed a bit at the idea of sharing a heart shaped chocolate box with Natsu. He popped the top of, revealing the assorted chocolates. He set it in between them and grabbed one, popping it into his mouth.

"So...what are we going to do about our kiss?" Natsu asked and Lucy snapped out of her thoughts, blushing even more and grabbing a chocolate as well.

"I don't know...it's not that I'm worried that something will happen or something...but...wont it make it weird?" She asked, biting into the chocolate, being pleasantly surprised with the chocolate butter filling. Natsu frowned at her for a moment, swallowing his fourth chocolate before sitting straighter, leaning towards her and holding his hand out to her.

"Let me see your hand." He said and she frowned herself.

"Why?" She asked him, however she still slowly placed her hand into his. He grabbed it, pulling it up and bringing Lucy closer as well. She looked from their hands to him.

"We've held hands before right?" He asked and she slowly nodded. "We've hugged before right?" He asked and again, she slowly nodded. "We've seen each other naked Lucy, correct?" He asked and she blushed, letting out an awkward grunt before nodding. "Well, think about it in the same way. It's just our skin touching, no different than when we hold hands." He told her and she swallowed, taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze once more.

"Alright...I think I can do it...but I'm worried that I'll get on stage and shy away.." She said honestly and Natsu bit his lip. He didn't like having to think about plans like this. That was always Lucy's job...however he did have a very appealing thought. If she didn't agree at first he would use _Lucy's_ tricks on her that she normally used on him when she wanted something.

"Well...we can practice then. Once or twice to get the feel for it so we don't mess up on stage." He suggested and Lucy choked on her own spit.

"What!? In private?! Wouldn't that be...wouldn't that be scandalous?" Lucy whispered, as if she was mortified more about the idea of kissing him with no one else around than in front of a big audience. Natsu gave her a blank look.

"Lucy. I grew up in Fairy Tail, where the men have no filter, and the women don't dress to cover themselves. You're also a part of Fairy Tail. What would be _scandalous_ of us, would be getting it on in the middle of the guild." He said bluntly and Lucy squeaked, hiding her face in her hands. He gave her a minute to sort out her thoughts and catch her breath. After a few minutes she finally looked up, a deep red blush still staining her entire face. _She knew he was right, but could she really kiss him? He was her best friend. Her best best BEST friend. She knew that a lot of times she enjoyed Natsu's company over others, but she always just assumed that it was because she was closer to him than to anyone else. He was her savior. Literally and figuratively. Did she want to kiss him? She had imagined what it would be like a few times sure, but she always dismissed that as her reading a bit too many romance novels at once. Maybe there was something more?_

"O-okay...b-but only for the money!" She exclaimed. Natsu stared at her in surprise, amazed that she had even agreed. His stomach suddenly exploded with nerves and he felt dizzy. Was this really going to happen? After countless times of "falling" on top of her or making sure he was the one who always caught her or was near her during games of truth or dare or whenever there was a mistletoe, this was going to actually happen. He looked at her for a long moment before giving her half a smile.

"Alright, don't worry okay? Trust me." He told her and she nodded. He had his own blush on his face now and he shifted, moving so he was closer to her. Lucy leaned forward a little bit. Natsu bit his lip and Lucy took in a nervous breath. Natsu laughed a little bit.

"We can fight against people trying to kill us without batting an eye, but we can't even get close without getting all nervous and stupid." Natsu whispered and Lucy let out a small giggle as well. "Just...remember that it's platonic..." Natsu whispered as they got even closer. Lucy felt like her heart was about to pound out of her chest.

"Yeah...totally platonic…" She whispered back, their noses brushing. Natsu held her gaze.

"Only for the job…" He whispered and her eyes fluttered close. Before he could let panic rise in his chest he closed his own eyes, slipping his hand up and cupping the back of her neck as he pushed forward the last few centimeters and connected their lips.

The effect was instant, Natsu felt like he had taken a direct hit from Laxus's lightning bolt..but in the _best_ way possible. Static ran through him as he took in a breath through his nose, slowly starting to move his lips against hers. It was awkward for a good few seconds before Lucy caught on, moving her lips in time with his, kissing him back and letting out her own breath through her nose. Bliss ran through him and he tilted his head, kissing her a bit deeper and to his surprise she leaned in as well. He felt like his fire was on a rampage through his veins, like he could take on Gildarts and Gramps at the same time, and _**win**_.

"Wow." The two Fairy Tail mages ripped themselves away from each other, panic shooting through them both as they tuned to see Nuka standing there with a clipboard, looking at them both with a weird look in his eyes. Natsu felt his chest rise and fall quickly as he tried to catch his breath, adrenaline pumping through him a mile a minute. Lucy's blush had reached from the top of her forehead to all the way down to her chest.

"That was one hell of a kiss, awkward at first but it was getting there! Kudos to you both for practicing! However on stage I want you to both be overwhelmed with passion! There's not any more time to practice it now though, you'll just have to wow me on stage! There's a photographer here from Sorcerer's Weekly to snap a few shots of the Fairy Tail members helping out with this years festival." He said and Natsu swore under his breath, praying it wasn't Jason. He was a nice guy and all, but he really bugged Natsu. Lucy quickly pulled herself off of the ground.

"Alright, let's get this done!" She said excitedly and looked back at Natsu. He gave her a long look before he plastered a grin on his face as well, standing up. However, they both were thinking the same thing as they walked with Nuka. _**That wasn't platonic**_.

~`!?`

Natsu let out a shriek as he was pulled to the stage floor, the crowd gasping. Natsu struggled a bit, feeling the net tangle around his limbs and his fake wings. He knew it was fake, however he had really gotten into character, and to him, it felt real. The "villagers" all growled and hooted in victory and Natsu rolled, trying to get up but he was pulled down again. He let it happen, knowing if he actually used his strength someone could get hurt.

"Wait!" The narrator yelled into the microphone and everyone on stage froze, except for Lucy. She had her hand outstretched towards Natsu, a terrified look on her face. She had gotten into character as well, she even had the sparkle of tears in her eyes as she very slowly picked herself up from where her "father" had thrown her down. ""I will prove to you that he is no beast, I will prove that he can love!" The wonderful dancer named Ladia claimed, barely able to get the words from her mouth. "How!" Demanded her the chief, the man she had been raised by." The narrator explained, Lucy and the man acting out what the narrator said. Natsu watched her, staying in character and keeping a worried, fearful look on his face. Lucy walked forward slowly.

"Ladia took a deep breath as she faced her father. "I will prove it by dancing in his fire, and returning unburnt!" She declared." The narrator said and the audience shifted in excitement. A few minutes later, after some scripted debating the net was pulled from Natsu and he stood up, fake spears and arrows all pointed at him.

"Let me dance in your fire, King of the forest, Krown." The narrator said, speaking for Lucy and Natsu shifted, giving her a concerned look before nodding. ""For you my love I will" Krown announced and the villagers parted, watching the damned couple walk towards each other slowly." The narrator continued. Natsu paused, about six feet away from Lucy. She gave him a nod, slowly bringing her arms up. Music started playing, and on his cue Natsu took a deep breath, cupping his mouth in his fists before letting fire spew from his mouth. The audience let out shouts of horror that mixed with thrill and excitement. Lucy held his gaze, not flinching as the flames surrounded her and hit her, climbing and rolling over her skin. The warmth surrounded her, but it didn't burn. She knew it wouldn't. After the kiss they had shared in the tent, she had found something out. She really did trust him with everything. Her life, her happiness, and even her heart. His fire was something she would never fear.

She started moving, going over the dance she had learned and practiced what felt like a hundred times, but this time she meant it, jumping, hopping and spinning as his fire explored her skin. She would never fear his fire again, for it was just another part of him, and Natsu? Natsu would never hurt her. She knew that. His fire burned brighter when their eyes met for a single second. He knew what she was feeling, and the way his flames rose and tickled her skin she knew that he returned it. She loved him, she always had, she had just never realized what the difference was between her relationship with Natsu and the others. But now, boy did she. Suddenly, Natsu joined the dance with her, moving perfectly in sync like they had practiced. His hands on her hips sent sparks through her, she danced harder, feeling like this was the only way she could tell him. Tell him that she loved him, just as much as he did for her. She was Ladia, she had to save her lover Krown, but she was also Lucy, and she had to make sure Natsu understood. Lucy spun, jumped and landed, being caught easily by Natsu's arms she was tilted back, the flames coming to an abrupt halt. Natsu and Lucy stared at each other, panting softly as they held each others gazes. They didn't have to act for this any longer. As the villagers slowly moved forward, Natsu gave Lucy the smallest smile.

"I love you too." He whispered to her, knowing that no one would ever hear what he had just told her. _He had understood her_. He cupped the back of her neck, bringing her head closer to his as he tilted his own head. She closed her eyes, one hand gripping his hair. His eyes closed and their lips connected for the second time that day. However, this time there was no shyness, there was no awkwardness. There was a confession, there was passion. There was a clear, obvious, loud declaration of their love for each other.

The audience burst into loud cries of joy, clapping and jumping around. The curtain closed and Natsu forced himself away from her lips, feeling intoxicated. He pulled her up, resting his forehead on hers as she struggled to catch her breath that he had stolen from her.

"Happy Valentines Luce." He whispered and she moved her head, resting it on his shoulder.

"Happy Valentines Natsu."

* * *

 ** _-edited-_**

 ** _Hey guys! Happy Valentines! I wrote this for an event on tumblr and for my assigned valentine lightalchemistfp on tumblr, you should go check them out!_**

 ** _Anyway, this is way longer than I expected it to be BUT I think it turned out okay. Tell me what you guys think? (I plan on seperating this and adding to it, but that won't be for a while, tell me if you'd like to see this extended?)_**


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